Kobe Bryant Rookie Card: Investment Guide and Value (Buy Now?)

Kobe Bryant (aka The Black Mamba, aka KB24) was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft (talk about an absolute steal!)

Kobe Bean Bryant (was born on August 23, 1978, and passed on January 26, 2020, in a tragic helicopter accident. He was an American professional basketball player and was considered to be one of the best players of all-time (some experts but in in the top 5 of all-time),

His first year was somewhat average as Kobe only averaged 7.6 points per game. That didn’t last long as he went on to average 15.4 points per game in his second year and then 19.9 in his third year )at that point it was safe to say he was on his way to NBA stardom).

Kobe Bryant rookie cards are not only a good bet in the short term but an excellent long term investment as well… you would be crazy not to have a few Kobe rookie cards in your sports card investment portfolio.

Here are the top Kobe Bryant rookie cards to invest and watch your money grow to new heights and retire early!

Best Kobe Bryant Rookie Cards on eBay

1996-97 Topps Kobe Bryant Rookie Card #138 (purchase on eBay)

WE love, love, LOVE this card! Did we mention we LOVE this card?

If we could only buy one Black Mamba rookie card this would be it… no questions ask.

Also full disclosure; we have bought a total of 9 of these bad boys and plan on picking up a few more over the next month or so while COVID-19 is bringing the sportscard market back to earth for a month or so.

The 1996-97 Topps Chrome #138 Kobe Bryant Lakers Refractor version is our white whale but that will cost us an arm and a leg (we are still saving up for that purchase).

1996 Kobe Bryant Skybox E-X2000 Credentials Rookie Card /499 #30

Not a bad card but then again it fails to compete with the 1996 Topps Chrome Bryant rookie card.

We have not purchased any of these cards nor plans too unless we find it at a dirt-cheap price.

Kobe Rookie Card Values

Kobe rookie cards should see a steady rise over time and should perform better than most rookie cards only besides a few (i.e. Michael Jordan Rookie Cards, Derek Jeter, Ty Cobb Rookie Cards).

Checklist

1996 Kobe Bryant Topps Chrome Rookie Card #138

1996 SkyBox Premium Kobe Bryant Rookie Card #55

1996 Topps Finest Kobe Bryant RC #74

1996 SP Kobe Bryant Upper Deck Auto #134

Other Kobe Bryant Key Cards

2009 National Treasures Notable Names Kobe Bryant: This bad boy sold for $30,100 in February 2020 (purchase on eBay)

If you have any questions in regards to these rankings please contact us here or the Bargain Bunch Facebook page… thanks!

Bottom Line

One of the best card investment in all of the hobby! If you don’t already have some of the Topps Chrome in your card portfolio change that ASAP.